Community backing with petition for new footpath in Chapeltown

Community backing with petition for new footpath in Chapeltown

20 February 2019

POLITICIANS and community officials have highlighted the need for a new footpath connecting St Mary’s Primary School in Dunsford with nearby Chapeltown.

Pressure for the new path has been highlighted by South Down MLA Colin McGrath and Downpatrick area councillors Dermot Curran and Cadogan Enright who say the new path is required to significantly enhance children’s safety.

Mr McGrath, who joined Cllr Curran on Monday to hand over a petition calling for the footpath to be developed to roads officials at their base at Rathkeltair House in Downpatrick, said the provision of a new path was critical to link the school with Chapeltown. 

He added: “The only delay to this project is financial and there should be no price on our children’s safety. I would like to see this work completed soon.”

Cllr Curran said the petition contained the names of concerned parents, community representatives and local residents and hoped the new path can be delivered sooner, rather than later.

“Parents are keen to see the path provided to increase the safety of children who walk to and from the school. While new speed limits have been introduced in the village, speeding drivers remains a concern,” he said.

“The safety of the children who attend the primary school is of paramount importance as indeed is the safety of residents who walk along this particular route.”

The local politician, who thanked Angela Wills for helping compile the petition, hopes roads officials will act, highlighting the importance of having a safe connection between St Mary’s and Chapeltown.

Cllr Curran said that while the village’s new speed limits were a welcome addition, the provision of the new path must be a priority to help ensure that a busy rural area is safer for all road users.

Cllr Enright said community groups around the Dunsford area had joined forces to support the campaign for the new path to connect the school to the nearby church and community centre. He also confirmed that another petition calling for the footpath had secured around 400 signatures.

He continued: “Some progress to deliver the new path was achieved last month with a site visit by roads officials which I organised when school principal Ronan Fitzpatrick and parish priest Fr Gerald McCloskey had the opportunity to walk the route with them.

“Hopefully this campaign is now on the cards for success. The most recent on-site review with roads officials produced an extra 10 points for this project bringing it up to 38. This makes it a project that roads officials might look at, if there is enough political and community pressure.”

Cllr Enright said that if the new path project was to proceed, all parties must make what he described as a “genuine effort” to pull together and support the school.

He added: “This project has all the features of a campaign that can succeed. There is a proven need for a pavement; its scores reasonably well on the Department for Infrastructure’s internal points system and there are no physical obstructions to making it happen. At this stage, it is up to local elected representatives to get a result for the community.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said roads officials had made it clear that when a project reached a certain number of points they looked to local representatives to say which projects were the priority. 

He added: “We have been promised that all local councillors will write and support this project though the local District Electoral Area forum. We have also requested the help of Chris Hazzard MP and local MLAs.”